


The Strange Joys of Motherhood

by InkyWandmaker



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Assualt, F/F, Huey Apologists need not apply, Mother-Son Relationship, Not Beta Read, The Boss is still dead, but she’s also an actual Ghost in the Machine so she will be an active character in this fic, irregular updates, you are not welcome here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 09:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14951849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkyWandmaker/pseuds/InkyWandmaker
Summary: Strangelove looked over her shoulder, watching Hal cuddle with his toy. Every day she saw more and more of Joy in him- the way he looked at her, his gaze seeming to penetrate even her thickest defenses, the way he approached any puzzles thrown at him, creating new solutions that were more efficient than the conventional ones. He was so smart...he had so muchpotential. Strangelove knew, she justknewthat he was destined for greatness and as his mother, it was her job to protect and nurture him until he could reach his utmost potential.She knew what she had to do.





	The Strange Joys of Motherhood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [koob](https://archiveofourown.org/users/koob/gifts).



> Hey guys this is basically a “What If...” fic where instead of Strangelove getting trapped in the Mammal Pod, Huey gets trapped in the Mammal Pod and dies so Strangelove is free to raise her son in a healthy happy environment. It was written as little paragraph snippets for my friend Koobie and it just kinda sprouted from that.
> 
> —:—

When Strangelove was handed her son for the first time, the first thought that crossed her mind was ‘he’s so small.’

The second was that he had Joy’s eyes.

Of course, the logical side of her brain scoffed at the thought. It was impossible for him to have Joy’s eyes when they weren’t biologically related and yet... they were _exactly_ the same. The same silvery blue, like the moon over the ocean, with the same gentle yet knowing gaze. Gently she ran her fingers through his thick ash brown hair, marveling at how quickly her life was rearranging itself before her very eyes. Priorities were shifting, plans were crumbling, and instead something deep and powerful was replacing them- something that if you had asked a young Diane whether she possessed such an instinct she would have laughed in your face.

She was a mother. She was a mother and as she held her newborn son against the soft cotton of her T-shirt, his head over her heart, Strangelove discovered that her previously held belief that she could never love a member of the opposite sex was wrong.

This boy, her _son_ , would forever be the one thing in the universe she loved above all else.

—:—

“You want to do _what_!?”

“Now just listen for a second- if you look at things rationally-“

“I don’t bloody well care about whatever half-cooked rational you’ve concocted in your twisted mind, I will _never_ let my son anywhere near your idiotic creation!”

Huey scowled, his bulky exo-legs clunking against the concrete floor as he came closer. Strangelove glared, holding her one year old son closer to her body. “He’s my son too you know,” Huey retorted, reaching a hand out to touch Hal’s hair. Strangelove quickly stepped back, jerking the boy away from his reach, curling a hand around his head protectively.

“Biologically maybe but you have _never_ shown an interest in anything he does unless you can somehow exploit it for your own gains!” she shouted. “And don’t you _dare_ deny it!”

“That’s not fair!” he whined, trying again to touch the little boy in Stangelove’s arms. “I care about him a lot!”

She narrowed her eyes, “Oh what a load of shit. Tell me Huey, what is Hal’s favorite color?”

“Um...”

“Or his favorite book?” Huey had blank look on his face. “How about what he calls the stuffed rabbit he likes so much?”

“That’s not- I _want_ to know him better but _you_ won’t let him near me!” Huey cried, playing the victim. “Maybe if you’d let me teach him how to-“

“Oh _fuck you_ Hugh! This is exactly what I was talking about- you only want to spend time with him if you can exploit him for your own research!” Hal began to cry, upset at all the yelling and Strangelove immediately softened her expression, sending him a smile and bouncing him on her hip a bit to try and soothe him. She glared over at his father, “oh now look what you’ve done, you’ve made him upset.”

“I made him upset!? _You_ were the one who was yelling at me while holding him!” Strangelove glowered and turned heel, starting to leave. “Oh so now you’re just gonna take him away huh!? This is exactly what I was talking about- you never let me see him!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night Huey,” Strangelove sighed and looked over her shoulder, her expression a mixture of anger and sadness. “By the way his favorite color is yellow, his bunny is named Lambda and his favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham.”

The door to the workshop housing Sahelanthropus swung shut and Strangelove took the stairs up to her living quarters as fast as she dared while holding a child. Her room wasn’t large, but she had made it as close to a home as she could. A strange mix of toys and computer parts, children’s books and research papers were strewn about and Strangelove sat Hal down on her bed, handing him his favorite stuffed rabbit before going over to her desk and slumping down into it, burying her head in her hands.

He wouldn’t stop. Huey was nothing if not persistent- she knew from when he was constantly pestering her to go out with him- and when it came to his work he was hellbent on achieving it at all costs, even if the price was his own flesh and blood.

All it took to override her decision was for him to go to Skull Face and say that the Metal Gear _needed_ to be piloted by a child and then no matter what she did, Hal would be used as he was the only child on the base. The only logical solution would be to...

Remove Hal from Huey’s clutches.

Strangelove looked over her shoulder, watching Hal cuddle with his toy. Every day she saw more and more of Joy in him- the way he looked at her, his gaze seeming to penetrate even her thickest defenses, the way he approached any puzzles thrown at him, creating new solutions that were more efficient than the conventional ones. He was so smart...he had so much _potential_. Strangelove knew, she just _knew_ that he was destined for greatness and as his mother, it was her job to protect and nurture him until he could reach his utmost potential.

She knew what she had to do.

Wiping away tears, she turned around in her desk chair and picked up the phone. It was time to call in a few favors.

—:—

Strangelove hoisted the huge duffel bag higher up her shoulder and tightened her hold on a sleepy Hal. It was ungodly early in the morning and the boy was very groggy and clingy- not that his mother minded. She reached the specified area and kept to the shadows, making sure there weren’t any traps- she had even forgone her signature red coat in favor of a black one to better conceal her position.

One could never be too careful when handling precious cargo.

The helicopter that was occupying the nearby clearing was off, the pilot and passenger leaning against the door chatting quietly. Strangelove took a deep breath and held Hal impossibly closer before stepping out into the light.

Immediately the two women stopped talking, one of them reaching for her holstered gun and the other staring at the child. For a long moment, nobody said anything.

“Strangelove,” Amanda Libre stated, relaxing her posture. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, I was quite surprised to receive your call,” Cécile added, still starting at the boy. “I...assumed that when you were referring to ‘precious cargo’ you meant some more parts or something not...”

The blonde trailed off and Amanda rolled her eyes, taking a few steps forward. “Regardless, we will see that the ‘cargo’ is delivered safely.” She glanced at her watch, and winched. “If we want to be out of here before sunrise we need to get going.”

Strangelove nodded once, her emotions a roiling mess just beneath her stoic exterior. “Alright, I... just give me a moment to say goodbye.”

Cécile nodded and climbed into the cockpit while Amanda took the duffle bag and went inside to store it under the seats. Strangelove turned to her son and gently ran a hand through his hair, waking him up.

“Hal darling, it’s time to go,” She said softly, fighting with ever fiber of her being not to just burst into tears at the thought of him being away from her.

“Mama?” He mumbled, confused and sleepy. His eyes were unfocused and his hands had curled around the front of her shirt, his tiny fingers wrapped around the silver crescent moon his mother wore around her neck under her blouse at all times. Gently, she took his hand and pulled it away from the only physical momento she had left from her time with Joy.

“Mama loves you Hal, very very much-“ she choked back a sob, “and it’s because I love you that I’m doing this...”

Amanda had stepped out of the helicopter and was standing a couple feet away, trying her best not to intrude. Strangelove slowly walked over, her left arm supporting her son’s weight against her side and her right hand digging around in her pocket. She extracted a bundle of papers- the necessary documents Hal would need to get into America- and handed them to Amanda. “It’s all there,” she said, her voice barely able to remain steady. While the brunette pocketed the paperwork Strangelove turned to her son. “This is Ms. Amanda, she’s going to look after you until your grandfather can take you.”

Hal’s clever eyes were serching his mother’s, wide and confused and picking up on her emotions like he was prone to doing. “Mama...?” He reached for her face and rested his tiny palm against her cheek, belatedly she realized that several tears had fallen against her will. Strangelove took his hand and pressed a kiss to it before wrapping her son in a final, desperate hug, his head resting on her shoulder and his little arms around her neck. When she pulled away, it was clear that Hal was now wide awake and scared- his mother was upset and he didn’t know why- She gave him a kiss on the forehead, her red nails combing through his hair one last time in an attempt to calm him.

“It’s time to go Hal... I love you, be good for Amanda and your grandfather, I’ll see you soon.” Strangelove handed the baby over to a saddened Amanda, wincing as Hal tried to hold on to her and she had to pull him away, his eyes filling with tears as he started to realize that his mother wasn’t going with him.

“Mama!” He cried, arms outstretched towards his mother and hands making grabbing motions as Amanda curled a arm under his bottom and held him securely in her arms.

“We’ll make sure he’s safe, Strangelove- he’ll make it to his grandpapa safe and sound.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, voice horse with restrained tears. “I don’t know how I could ever repay you...”

“Don’t worry about it,” Amanda said as she tried to soothe a wailing Hal by bouncing him gently- her sisterly instincts kicking in from when Chico was a baby. “We’ll just call us even, no?”

“Ok,” Strangelove forced a teary smile as she waved goodbye to her son who was still screaming ‘Mama’ over and over while being loaded into the helicopter which was coming to life. “Goodbye Hal, I’ll see you very very soon!” She shouted over the roar of the blades just as Amanda slid the door shut.

Strangelove stood frozen to the spot, her body shaking as she tried to force back her sobs while her eyes stared unblinking as the helicopter took off into the predawn sky- the stars faint but the world still dark and still.

“Please, Joy,” Strangelove whispered tears streaming down her face as her hand closed around the moon necklace Joy had given her as a congratulatory gift for finishing the shuttle, “keep our son safe.”

—:—

Strangelove felt both relieved and furious at how long it took Huey to notice that Hal was no longer on the base. On one hand it made her feel reassured of her decision- what kind of parent didn’t notice their own child was missing for _five days_? After Heinrich called and let her know that Hal was now in his custody and, while very upset and confused, was still healthy overall- Strangelove felt like she could relax a little. 

Dr. Emmerich senior was a good man who had escaped Nazi Germany on a work visa to protect his family and the work he found just turned out to be much deadlier than he intended. His relationship with his son- if not strained before- was defiantly in shambles after he had been told of Huey’s plans for Hal by Strangelove. She was confident that if Huey ever came looking for Hal at Heinrich’s place he would not give him any information- not that Huey was likely to look there in the first place.

Regardless, Huey was bound to eventually notice that Hal was missing and Strangelove dreaded the day. She started carrying a pocket knife with her at all times- just in case. Huey _scared_ her not because he was stronger than her but because she had no idea how far he would go. Any man who had no problem with using a _baby_ in his death robot had a seriously messed up morale compass.

It was 6 days until the topic was raised. Strangelove had been bent over her work station, fixing some bugs in the AI’s code but her eyes were unable to focus on the screen as she kept drifting over to look at the photo of Hal on her desk. He was on one half of a hinged picture frame, the other was the photo taken before launch of Joy in front of the shuttle. The door had slid open and the whine of Huey’s exo-legs preceded him into the room.

“Strangelove? Where’s Hal?”

She stiffened, her hands twitching as she restrained the urge to grab her knife right then and there. “...why do you want to know?”

Huey made a derisive noise, “because he’s my son?”

Strangelove looked over and what she saw made her hand’s clench so hard that she was sure her nails had drawn blood. Huey was holding a tiny helmet in one hand and the rolled up specifications of the Metal Gear’s cockpit in the other. “Why don’t you try that again,” she bit out, voice ice.

He narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, setting the helmet down in a table. “No, why don’t you tell me where my son is.”

Strangelove’s hand started to drift down to her pocket, fingers touching the cool steel of her knife through her slacks. She hardened her face and with as much authority as she could muster she looked him right in the eye and said, “he’s not here. I’ve sent him away.”

Huey’s face twisted into something dark and hideous, “YOU _WHAT_!?” 

Strangelove stepped backwards fumbling to get her knife out as he advanced on her. She hadn’t even known that his cybernetic legs _could_ move that fast. In what felt like a millisecond he was right in front of her, his hands grabbing her shoulders tight enough to restrict her ability to draw her weapon. Stupid- she berated herself as she struggled in his grasp, kicking at whatever she could- Joy taught you better than this.

Finally, the toe of her boot hit him in the stomach and his hold on her loosened enough that she could squirm free. Strangelove scrambled out of his reach, pulling the knife out of her pocket and flicking it open, the blade sharp and shiny. Huey turned to her and glared, giving chase.

Strangelove wouldn’t call herself an athletic person per say but she had always had a talent for running. At the dreadful boarding school her parents sent her to she had been forced to choose an extracurricular and, despite protesting and writing letters to the school governors and pestering the headmaster every chance she got- all the science or mathematics related clubs remained male only so she had instead joined the women’s track and field team as it was the only non home ec. related extracurricular for ladies. Of course it was a joke of a team- only two other girls were on it and both of them were in the same boat as she. It became more of a glorified ‘jog-and-bitch-about-the-toxic-patriarchal-society-they-were-forced-to-live-in’ club than a proper athletics team.

But right then in that godforsaken lab she was thankful for all the practice.

Of course the lab itself was no place for running. When Huey had grabbed her she had been blocked from the door by her desk and his body requiring her to run away from the door to circle around her desk and past the Mammal Pod. It was there, between her desk and the pod that her foot caught on some cables and she fell hard into the concrete floor, smacking her head against the side of her desk and making her dizzy. She didn’t have time to get up before Huey was upon her so she did the only thing she could.

She fought.

Those damn exo-legs, while able to give Huey a fluid range of motion, were also his weakness. The bolts screwed into his bones were brittle and without support would break. The second Huey was close enough Strangelove jammed her knife into the left knee support and _dragged_ , trying to ruin as much as she could before he could bend down.

It worked.

The knee joint broke and Huey staggered sideways, screaming with the pain of his bone breaking from the unsupported weight, and swayed into the Mammal Pod’s open maintenance hatch. Strangelove heard him hit the ground inside and despite the dizziness and pain she forced herself upright where she froze. For a second she could have sworn she saw Joy standing at the pod door staring at her.

“Go,” she commanded.

Strangelove blinked and just as quickly as she had seen her she was gone. Regardless Strangelove forced herself forward, running out of the lab and into her quarters where she locked the door before collapsing onto her bed.

Her heart was pounding, her vision ringed and blurry, her whole being was thrumming with adrenaline.

What the bloody hell was that?

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry for the abrupt end!
> 
> Unfortunately this will _NOT_ be updating regularly and is by no means finished but that doesn’t mean it will _never_ update or become complete so don’t forget to leave a Comment or a Kudos on your way out. If you liked the fic the number one way to insure it gets updated is to leave feedback! Every little bit counts!


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